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Back The Year the Maps Changed Save as PDF
Chapters (75)
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraph
  5. Map
  6. Prologue
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. 61
  68. 62
  69. 63
  70. 64
  71. 65
  72. 66
  73. Acknowledgments
  74. About the Author
  75. About the Publisher

“Can we get the translator back here?” the doctor asked, and then they were out the door and rushing through the swinging doors to another ward.

I stood there, just staring down that hallway.

“Fred!”

I looked over and there was Sam, standing with his backpack on and holding mine in front of him, while pushing his glasses up again. “The nurse said visiting hours are over.”

I nodded and walked to him, took my backpack, and had one last look down the corridor, where the woman had been wheeled away.

“You look weird,” Sam said.

“I’m fine!” I snapped. “Let’s go.”

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28

On Winter Holidays

Jed and I never knew what to do in the first days of holidays, especially in winter. And especially because we lived by the bay. You can hardly do anything at the beach, and the winds off the water make everything that much colder.

Mr. Trần was still in Sydney, Vi was working at her hairdressers shop, Luca had day shifts, and Lily didn’t want anything to do with Jed, Sam, or me. But Vi and Luca insisted that they wanted us out of the house and not stuck on the couch playing video games every day.

All I really wanted was to visit Pop and then the hospital to find out how that lady in the garden was, and if her baby was okay. Hospital visiting hours didn’t start until four p.m., so I still had to find something to fill my day. And Sam’s, since I was in charge of him while Anika was away.

I didn’t say anything to Luca or Sam about the lady or what had happened. I felt like without knowing if she was okay, it wasn’t fair to tell them more sad stories, so I kept that one to myself. Just in case.

The three of us could hang around town, so long as we stuck our heads in at the police station or the hairdressers occasionally to let Vi, Luca, or Penny know we were okay.

In the end, Aidan, Jed, Keira, Sam, and I decided to finally pull our bikes out from our sheds, shake the cobwebs from our helmets, and go riding round town to find something to do. That was how we came across a whole gaggle of refugee kids, and Mr. Khouri too.

Keira’s house was only one road over from PNP. After we collected her, we were riding back past the school when we saw a whole bunch of kids in the front playground and a big bus parked in the teachers’ lot.

We screeched our bikes to a stop just outside the chain-link fence, hopped off our seats, and gawked at them—all these kids our age who looked pretty much just like us, although the words we could faintly hear coming from them definitely weren’t English.